Kurt Vonnegut's Essay 'You Have Insulted Me'

336 Words2 Pages
You Have Insulted Me essay by Evan Hang
Kurt Vonnegut’s purpose for writing the letter, “You Have Insulted Me” is to convince the school board to change their decision through the use of rhetorical strategies, logos, pathos, and ethos.
To begin, Vonnegut uses ethos to convince the school board. Vonnegut uses examples of ethos such as that he served in World War 2 and earned a purple heart to change the school board’s decision. “Every year I receive at least a dozen invitations to be the commencement speaker at colleges and high schools.” Vonnegut uses real-life, reliable information to show the school board that he is trusted by many people. Vonnegut is able to convince the school board to change their decision through the use of ethos.